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ACL backs Islamic Council on Sharia courts

Tuesday, 20 October 2009, 8:46 (EST)
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The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) today welcomed a decision by the Islamic Council of Victoria to reject a push within their ranks for Sharia courts in Victoria to handle disputes over divorce, child access, wills and the like.

ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said that the accommodation of a parallel system of Sharia law in this way would be rejected by most Australians, and risked disadvantaging Muslim women who might feel pressured into going before these courts even if they came off worse.

“The Australian legal system exists for all Australians – we shouldn’t give it over to another system of values and beliefs, even in respect to civil matters,” Mr Wallace said.

“Of course there is nothing wrong with people seeking advice on such things as divorce and property disputes from religious leaders and this occurs in Christian churches as well. However this should clearly be counselling, with no quasi legal status.”

Mr Wallace agreed with concerns raised by the Islamic Women’s Welfare Council of Victoria that any sort of Sharia court would create problems for Muslim women and children.

He said that a 2005 attempt to introduce the use of Islamic law in Ontario to allow Muslims to settle issues such as divorce and child custody was firmly quashed following large protests and concerns it could lead to discrimination against women, who it is well known do not enjoy equal status in Islamic law.

Just last year a Muslim think tank in the UK found that some UK Imams discriminated against women in their Sharia courts, with some women not getting fair hearings in forced marriage and domestic violence disputes.


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